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Thursday, 19 April 2012

Alaskan Black Cod w Hoison & Ginger Sauces

Cod is a super popular fish. It has a flaky, firm, white flesh with a mild flavor and when cooked properly, it's moist and delicious.

Atlantic cod isn't the only, but it is the most frequently used fish when preparing fish and chips. A neat fact about the Atlantic cod is that it can change color depending on the depth of water it swims in, now that's just cool. A horse of a different color you could say...er...a fish : )

On the endangered species list for Greenpeace is the Northeast Arctic Cod. There is also the Pacific cod, the salt water cod, and the Greenland cod, also known as the Rock cod.

I really had no idea there were so many, whenever I thought of cod, I thought of one kind and thought of course of fish and chips : )

True cod is from the Genus, Gadus and the family, Gadidae. Although there are many, many fish out there being called cod or having the word cod in it's name, it is only when they are from this family that they can be authentic cod fish. They can be related of course but are not considered true blue cod.

So...is the Black cod from the Genus, Gadus? The answer is no. But, it is a marine cod icefish. It was a alittle tricky researching these fish, google and I have become good friends ; ) Black cod is considered a delicacy and is also referred to as a Sable fish. It's great for your heart, perfect for people on low cholesterol diets and is high in protein. You can read a bit more about this fish on Fish Ex Quality Seafoods to learn more.

Is the Alaska cod from the Genus, Gadus? Why yes. It is an Arctic and cold water temperature fish. It is low in fat, high in protein and considered one of the very best cod fillets to eat. It is a chef's friend as it can be poached, deep-fried, sauteed, baked and steamed. It can be the shining star in many different types of dishes making it a very versatile ingredient to work with. The Alaskan Seafood Marketing Institute can provide you with a bit more information on this delicious fish.

I picked the fillets up at Futures Food Products. For all of the different types of products we have tried from this company each one has been of the highest quality, fun to work with and delicious to eat. We've tried their catfish, haddock, halibut fillets, Chilean sea bass, pickerel cheeks, lobster tails, Arctic char, mussells, 20 oz rib eye steaks, giant raw shrimp and a few others. I have yet to try...but have my tongue hanging out for a few of their snackies, such as their chicken and pork dumpling pot stickers and mozzarella sticks : )

Transfer to the oven and bake until fish is just opaque in center, about 5-8 minutes.

Place 1 fillet each in 2 shallow bowls on top of rice. Spoon ginger sauce around fish.

I was light handed with the ginger sauce as it's raw ginger and raw garlic, it tastes fantastic and the remaining sauce you can serve on the table if you want to add more later. It was so good, I just cannot tell you, the fish was so super moist and I just love all of these flavors together. This recipe worked out really well too as I had everything in the house already when I went to make it for dinner : )

You can finish the fish in the oven as I did leaving it moist on the outside, but can certainly also broil it for a few moments under the broiler to caramelize the sauce on the outside, up to you : )

One tip before I let you go : ) Make both sauces ahead of time so they are ready to go. They only take a few minutes and the entire dinner is ready in a flash...well, 30 minutes tops!

Be sure to rinse and then pat dry your fish fillets

All ready to go : )

Heat your oil before placing the fillets in the pan

Be gentle while flipping them so they stay intact

For a side dish, I wilted fresh baby spinach in a small bit of hot sesame oil w/ a sprinkle of kosher salt, and garnished it with sesame seeds. Start small with the sesame oil as it is strongly flavored (in a wonderful way), you can always add more after tasting : )

Voila, more delicious than I could have even hoped for. The sweetie was still raving about the moist fish and flavors the next day...yay!